TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER throws you into the story of futuristic warfare with a whole new Ghost Unit codenamed Kozak, Ghost Lead, Pepper and 30K. After the former Ghost Unit is wiped out by a bomb, the members must venture forth to complete a special ops reconnaissance mission to find those responsible and prevent global warfare. In this futuristic setting, your Ghost Unit will deploy in a variety of locations around the globe including Nigeria, Russia and the Arctic Circle to perform stealth operations with tons of advanced weaponry and surveillance equipment to help them infiltrate enemy strongholds. While not an incredibly unique plot, the game's campaign manages to keep you addicted through the entirety of all 14 missions thanks to it mesmerizing gameplay and desire to undercover the mystery behind the attack
TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER is a third-person, cover based shooter primarily, only switching to first-person view upon aiming down the sights. Playing through the campaign will require you and your three teammates to work together to complete objectives and keep the game continuously moving forward. AI has been improved considerably since the last GHOST RECON title; your teammates are amazingly responsive, and they actually perform well as a unit in assisting you throughout missions. You'll be dropped into missions equipped with optical camouflage technologies that will literally render you invisible to enemy soldiers. This is your primary means for progressing stealthily through missions, but you also have the option of deploying recon drones for additional air and ground surveillance. If you enjoy a little more of a challenge then you can simply try to gun your way through the game's campaign despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered.
A great percentage of players will be primarily interested in the game's multiplayer modes. GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER shines in its multiplayer matches that allow up to 12 players to compete in four different objective modes. Rather than settling for the traditional, the game actually places strategic thinking into every mode and forces players to think creatively to complete objectives. In addition to these addictive and unique bouts, the game also offers up a fresh new take on customizing your weaponry in Gunsmith Mode. Gunsmith allows you to fully customize any of the 50+ firearms available, and this customization breaks down even the smallest mechanics of the guns such as the clip, barrel and stock. Also included in multiplayer is Guerrilla Mode—a "horde" mode of sorts that allows you to play solo or with up to three other players cooperatively. The purpose is to secure a location, and then, keep it secure through 50 waves of enemies. Again, not completely original, but undeniably entertaining.
FUTURE SOLDIER will manage to stand out in a crowded genre thanks to an amazing presentation rarely seen in today's shooter marketplace. The innovative new features and game modes produce an impressive display, with Ubisoft creating smooth, stellar animations. Ubisoft was able to capture the movement of real soldiers to ensure an authentic presentation and it shows! Of course, the game features top flight sound design, as you've come to expect from Tom Clancy games in the past, and you'll even hear some pretty nice voice acting and music that is sure to keep your adrenaline pumping. The only real knock against the game's presentation, and the game as a whole, is the loading screens. If you don't install the game to your system's hard drive, plan on spending lots of time looking at these rather than actually playing.
Perhaps TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER won't overtake other shooters to become the genre's top dog, but it should. While the game's campaign isn't completely revolutionary, it performs admirably as a great counter piece to one of the best multiplayer experiences running. Make sure to keep an eye out for it on May 22, 2012.